Brandt Hill is a litigator in the firm’s Higher Education practice group, where he represents colleges, universities, and membership associations in court. He both defends educational institutions and pursues relief on their behalf in association-led litigation against federal agencies.
Since 2025, Brandt has been lead counsel in four cases against the U.S. Department of Education filed on behalf of national associations with hundreds of member colleges. In challenges to mass grant terminations and limits on federal student loans, he has secured court-ordered relief for the associations and their members. After obtaining a preliminary injunction in January 2026, Brandt helped broker a settlement resulting in the Department’s reinstatement of more than 60 federal grants. In October 2026, he won a preliminary injunction in another case requiring the Department to treat the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree as a “professional degree.” He is now challenging the administration’s “pocket rescission” of $25 million in congressionally appropriated funds for two student support grant programs.
For nearly a decade, Brandt has represented schools in high-stakes litigation, class actions and mass arbitrations, and regulatory disputes before accrediting agencies and state licensing boards. He regularly litigates and advises on the Higher Education Act; federal civil rights laws, including Title VI and Title IX; the Americans with Disabilities Act; FERPA; and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Brandt began his legal career in 2014 at a large New York law firm, where he litigated disputes between the NFL and its players, including Tom Brady’s “Deflategate” suspension and the suspensions of Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice. While in New York, he also petitioned President Obama for clemency for two individuals, and both sentences were commuted.
Brandt played Division I baseball at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He earned his J.D. from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans and has studied at schools in Hong Kong and England.
experience
- National HEP-CAMP Ass’n v. Trump, et al., No. 26-cv-3427 (D.D.C.) (pending challenge to President Trump’s “pocket rescission” purporting to unilaterally cancel $25 million in congressionally-appropriated funds for Title IV grant programs)
- Ass’n of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, et al. v. McMahon, et al., No. 26-cv-1599, 2026 WL 3093937 (D. Or. Oct. 16, 2026) (obtained preliminary injunction directing Department of Education to treat Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine as a “professional degree”)
- Council for Opportunity in Educ. v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ., Nos. 25-cv-3491 & 25-cv-3514, 2026 WL 1480903(D.D.C. 2026) (obtained preliminary injunction resulting in Department’s reconsideration and awarding of TRIO grants; case later settled, restoring additional grants and attorney’s fees payment)
- National HEP-CAMP Ass’n v. U.S. Dep’t of Educ., No. 25-cv-2730 (D.D.C. 2025) (compelled Department of Education to release $52 million in withheld federal grant funds for seasonal farmworker students)
- Commonwealth of Virginia, et al. v. Sec’y of Veterans Affairs, No. 25-2033 (Fed. Cir. 2025) (filed amicus brief on behalf of 18 higher-education associations advocating for full GI Bill benefits for veterans)
- Clemens v. DeVry University, No. 25-cv-1713(N.D. Ill. 2025) (successfully defended college against TCPA class action).
- Studio Enterprise, LLC v. SSB Bancorp, et al., No. 23-cv-2095 (W.D. Pa. 2024) (earned summary judgment on breach of contract claim against financial institution for over $300,000)
- James v. Fortis Institute (AAA) (June 28, 2024) (obtained dismissal of former student claims for breach of enrollment agreement and misrepresentation)
- Moore v. Triumph CSR Acquisition, No. 23-cv-4659 (N.D. Ill. 2024) (defended college against TCPA class action).
- Mai v. AI Dallas, No. 23-cv-1275 (N.D. Tex. 2023) (obtained confirmation of arbitration award on former student’s breach of contract claims against college and obtained award of attorney’s fees)
- Ex parte TheHuffingtonPost.com, No. 1200871(Ala. 2022) (successfully petitioned Alabama Supreme Court for writ of mandamus on basis that website operator had Section 230 immunity from tort claims)
- In re Oct. 8, 2021 Closure of Vista College, No. 23-DCV-229309 (Tex. MDL) (obtained transfer of seven state-court lawsuits to single court for pretrial proceedings)
- Qureshi v. Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, No. 20-cv-934 (M.D. Ala. 2021) (obtained dismissal of former student’s Title VII national origin discrimination claims against medical college)
- Matthews v. American Society of Professional Educ., et al., No. 21-cv-291 (W.D. Tex. 2021) (obtained dismissal of claims against client for lack of personal jurisdiction)
- Jenkins v. Georgia Driving Academy, No. 2021-mag-1131 (Rockdale Cty. Mag. Ct.) (Jul. 2021) (prevailed at trial on former student’s claims that professional driving school failed to accommodate disability)
- Hilburg v. Fortis College, No. 01-20-0014-5423 (AAA) (June 28, 2021) (obtained dismissal of student claim that college’s transition to distance education during COVID-19 pandemic violated enrollment agreement)
- Cannon v. Lucas, No. 1190505, 2021 WL 3700830 (Ala. 2021) (obtained reversal of $18 million adverse jury verdict and remand for new trial)
- MasterMind Involvement Mktg., Inc. v. Art Inst. of Atlanta, 389 F. Supp. 3d 1291 (N.D. Ga. 2019) (obtained preliminary injunction requiring vendor to return social media login credentials to multiple universities)
- MetLife Sec. v. Brandt, No. B282949, 2018 WL 6616097 (Cal. Ct. App. 2018) (obtained affirmance in case involving request for attorney’s fees)
- Marshall v. Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, No. 18-cv-00631, 2018 WL 4955211 (M.D. Ala. 2018) (obtained dismissal of ADA and due process claims against school)
- Ex parte Birmingham Airport Auth., 274 So. 3d 964 (Ala. 2018) (obtained writ of mandamus requiring dismissal of all claims against client due to statutory immunity defense)
- Brady v. NFL (represented former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in arbitration and court proceedings challenging four-game suspension imposed by NFL)
- Rice v. NFL (represented former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice in challenging suspension imposed by NFL)
- Peterson v. NFL (represented former NFL running back Adrian Peterson in arbitration and court proceedings challenging suspension under NFL Personal Conduct Policy)
- Listed in Best Lawyers Ones to Watch, 2022-2024
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Appellate Practice (by BL Rankings), 2025-2027
- Presenter, Responding to the Regulations: Regulatory Advocacy Strategies and Legal Challenges, CSPEN 12th Annual Conference (Aug. 2026)
- Presenter, Navigating DEI and Anti-Discrimination Compliance in Higher Education, Thompson Coburn (Feb. 2026)
- Presenter, Higher Education Grants in 2025: Lessons, Updates, and Future Outlook, Thompson Coburn (Dec. 2025)
- Presenter, Future Outlook for McNair, Council for Opportunity in Education Annual Conference (Sept. 2025)
- Presenter, Student Loan Litigation, NCHER Annual Conference (Sept. 2024)
- Presenter, Update on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, CECU Annual Conference (June 2024)
I am an avid gardener and landscaper. I live in Birmingham with my wife and three children and enjoy coaching youth sports, golfing, and spending time outdoors.